


Whats In a Name

by xompeii



Category: King Falls AM (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Nicknames, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2019-05-01 13:16:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14521368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xompeii/pseuds/xompeii
Summary: The story behind how Sammy became Shotgun.





	Whats In a Name

The first time anyone calls him ‘Shotgun’ it’s Jack. It’s in the parking lot of an Albertsons three miles from their apartment, with the window of his beat up 5-year-old Hyundai Excel rolled down. The only reason Sammy hadn’t walked home was because it was raining, and he already had a cold.

It’s a quick, “Get in, Shotgun.” He doesn’t even bother hiding how he looks Sammy over. 

He’s soaked through, tired, and doesn’t really care if his best friend is checking him out. He’d spent the last year working off the chub he’d had from high school, and somehow gotten abs that he would have thought impossible. He still tried to keep himself covered up in loose clothes, only because he didn’t trust himself to maintain his body as it got closer to Christmas. 

“Jesus, Jack,” Sammy said, his voice muffled by how stuffed up he was. He was trying not to make a loud snorting noise to attempt to clear his sinuses because he didn’t want to be gross. “What took you so long.”

“You know people in California can’t drive for shit in the rain.” He paused, then added, “Shotgun.” He had that exact same cocky grin on as he started to drive out of the parking lot. He had his wipers on a setting higher than necessary. 

It wasn’t unusual for Sammy to get rides to the store from either Jack or Lily. The three of them lived together near the college. Sammy, who’d grown up in a small town, hated driving in LA. It freaked him out, even during the points of the day where the traffic was light. Jack often offered a ride to whatever store he was going to. He usually thought that Sammy might be ignoring his needs in favor of not driving anywhere. Sammy never even had to ask to go with him, though he had to ask Lily before even assuming he could tag along with her. The optimal time to ask her was after a breakup because she knew Sammy was likely to buy her ice cream. When she wasn’t in the mood, though, it was more likely that she’d tell him to drive himself with a “You fucking baby” tacked onto the end.

When Jack was driving, he was always quick to yell “Shotgun” and take the front seat from Lily. Jack respected the rules of calling Shotgun for the passenger seat. He wouldn’t even start the car if Lily stole the seat from Sammy.

On this particular night, Lily had offered him a ride. She wasn’t in a breakup period, but it was raining hard and didn’t look like it was going to let up. The two of them had split up in the store, and it took Sammy 20 minutes to realize she’d left him at the store. It wasn’t uncommon. The only reason Jack never forgot him was that they’d wander the isles together. Usually ending up with more than Sammy either wanted or needed. 

Sammy accepted the name ‘Shotgun’ without a fight. He’d made it clear he hated being called anything other than Sammy on multiple occasions, but everyone they were friends with had thrown a nickname at him. Salty Sammy made him cringe. Sassy Sammy resulted in several blocked phone numbers and a broken pager (one of their medical student friends had not been happy). Seal Sammy had never really stuck, no one even remembered where it came from except Sammy, it had been his favorite animal. 

Sammy coughed into his arm and groaned. Looking at the disgusting mess of phlegm. “I hate everything about myself.”

“So what else is new?” Jack said it too quickly. 

Sammy just sunk down into his seat, “Yeah.”

“Sorry, Shotgun.” Jack said, “That sounded a little too harsh.”

“Why shotgun?” Sammy asked.

Jack shrugged, they were turning into the apartments gated parking lot. Jack had the garage parking under their 2 bedroom apartment, that they had turned into 3. “You always call Shotgun. Thought it would work.”

Sammy smiled at that, nodding, and said, “Yeah, okay, you can call me that.”

Jack hit the break on the car a little harder than he meant to when he attempted to back into the garage. He wasn’t sure if it was Sammy’s cold or their friendship that was letting him get away with a nickname. “Really?” 

Sammy smiled at him. Despite the mess of his face, it was big, beautiful, and radiant. “Yeah, man. I like you enough that it’s okay.”

Now Jack was sure it was the sickness. Sammy has never even admitted that they were friends. It’s always the word ‘roommate’ in reference to Jack. There’s always distance between them, always from Sammy. “So we are friends?”

“Who told you we’re not?” Sammy asks. He looks hurt. 

By now they’re parked and the car is off but the garage door is still open and they’re able to watch the rain coming down. 

It takes Jack a long time to say it because they’re both so quiet and still in there, “You’ve never actually say ‘friend’ when you talk about me.”

“We know four Jack’s,” Sammy says. He coughs a few times, punctuating his statement, then adds, “What do you want me to say? ‘My friend Jack’ ‘which one Sammy?’ ‘the one I live with, of course’.” Sammy makes up a fake voice for his imaginary conversation. Jack struggles to no make a cooing noise at how cute he finds it. “No, I call you my roommate ‘cause that’s the easiest way to make sure people know who you are.”

“That’s why you only ever say ‘roommate’?” He’s relieved.

Sammy reaches over and shoves him on the shoulder. “Yeah. what else would I call you?”

He’s laughing as he finally gets out of the car. Jack follows him a second later. He can think of a few words he’d like Sammy to call him, but he doesn’t say them. It’s almost as simple as that. 

A few days later, when they’re on campus between classes getting lunch, Jack squeezes between Sammy and another guy, “Hey Shotgun.”

“Hey Jack,” Sammy says in an equally cheerful tone. 

The table goes quiet for a second because no one is exactly sure what’s just happened. Sammy doesn’t respond to nicknames ever.

Jack enters the conversation easily. Sammy takes a backseat so he can actually eat. 

Someone tries to call Sammy ‘Shotgun’ but he just flips them off. When Jack uses it he doesn’t care. Soon enough it becomes clear, the only Jack Sammy talks about is his best friend, and only Jack Wright is allowed to call him Shotgun.


End file.
